Being Free Pt.1
by Clumsy Trinity
Summary: Trinity's life just before she was freed, and the events that lead up to her being on the Neb. This is just the first part, don't think the story just ends there!


Joanna Greene was arrested on a snowy night in November. The loud sirens and flashing  
lights woke her 15 year old daughter up. Confused, she climbed out of her bed and wandered  
onto the splintered porch. Outside was Joanna, cursing the New York City police officers.  
  
"I haven't done anything! Why are you doing this?" Joanna kicked, fighting the police  
officers trying to drag her to the car. "What the hell is going on?! My daughter, my girl, where is  
she?"  
  
The officer holding her clicked on the handcuffs and read Joanna her rights. She waved  
her right to be silent and screamed for her daughter, who was still standing on the porch. Finally  
Joanna heard one of the officers speak softly to her.  
  
"It's all right Ms. Greene, your daughter is going to be taken care of." Joanna began to  
thrash and scream. She spotted her daughter being escorted into another squad car.  
  
"Your mom loves you! Don't be scared, be brave!" Joanna's voice was muffled as she  
was pushed into the squad car. As the car began to pull away, Joanna watched as her daughter's  
face disappeared into the flood of blue and red lights.  
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"Dammit, froze again." Trinity cursed her laptop. "I can't believe this shit!" In her  
cramped room, Trinity was trying to do some "research for school". She was really looking up  
information on someone she has heard a lot about. Someone named Morpheus. He was well  
known in the hacker world. Trinity had told Jon and Sara, her 'parents',that she needed a new  
laptop to do research for all of her school projects. She really needed a new tool for hacking.  
  
Trinity had started hacking as a way to escape from the real world. Or so she thought.   
The things she accomplished by hacking were beyond her wildest dreams. She was so well known  
within the cyber world, a virtual celebrity. Of course no one knew her personally, but her  
anonymity let her do things she would never do usually. Like destroy government files or create  
new records for her delinquent friends.  
  
After the computer had restarted, Trinity re-opened her internet window. After entering  
her password, she waited for it to connect. Drumming her fingers, she took a sip of her coffee. It  
was the one tool to keep her awake. She felt that if she didn't sleep, the next day would never  
come. Trinity couldn't decided whether she just wanted tomorrow to come and get it over with,  
or to push the day back further and further in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted by a new  
window popping up on her computer. Her modem had connected, but the message was an  
unfamiliar one.  
  
"They're watching you..." green letters glowed on her screen, enticing her with the words  
they formed. "They are better at this game than you know..." Trinity frowned with confusion.   
"What the hell?" She tried to shut down the program, but it didn't work. "Stop searching, or the  
wrong people will find you." The warning left a lump of fear grow within Trinity's chest. The  
computer then shut itself down, leaving her in the darkness. Suddenly frightened, she turned on  
all of her lights and decided to go to bed. The words floated into her mind before she fell asleep,  
causing a stream of nightmares to flow through her mind that night.  
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"Trin. Hey, Trin, wake up." A gentle hand pushed on the girl's thin shoulder. "Come on,  
Trin... we're gonna be late." Finally the sleeping form rolled over and sat up. The girl blinked her  
eyes and yawned. Trinity began to argue, "Don't tell me we're going to be late. You can't be late  
for something like this." Pushing aside the thick covers, Trinity began to look for a sweater and  
jeans to wear.  
  
"But she's expecting us. You know you could be somewhat enthusiastic about this."   
Heather said, tired of hearing Trinity complain. The weird thing was, Heather didn't even know why  
she was going with Trinity, she wasn't even her real sister. 'My mother should be doing this,'  
Heather thought, 'She's the one who took Trinity in.'   
  
Three months after Joanna's arrest, Trinity had been taken in by a foster family, the  
Lancasters. Trinity was extremely rebellious and angry at first. She died her brown hair black and  
pierced her eyebrow. Typical teen angst.  
  
Heather took note of Trinity's bad mood and went to make breakfast. After getting dressed,  
Trinity went down the stairs to the kitchen. As she ate the warm pancakes and the sticky syrup  
adhered to the walls of her stomach, making her nauseous. After gulping down milk, Trinity took  
the car keys and went outside to warm up the car.  
  
Heather finally came out of the house and stumbled to the car. It was a frosty morning as  
the duo drove to the penitentiary. Drumming her glove clad fingers on the steering wheel, Heather  
broke the pregnant silence.  
  
"Well, are you nervous at all? I mean, you haven't seen your mother for a year." Heather  
glanced at Trinity through her thick, auburn locks. Her friend was dressed all in black, as if to  
attend a funeral. In some ways she was. Trinity was either going to put to rest all of her anger, or  
bury it deeper inside herself.  
  
"No, I'm not nervous at all. In fact I'm ecstatic." Trinity spoke dryly. Heather was  
surprised by Trinity's comment and frowned. Trin's thin, pale face softened in regret. She  
mumbled an apology and let the silence form again. Instead of trying to initiate conversation,  
Trinity popped a cassette in the player. The rest of the drive was silent, except for the Beatles  
singing as sad song about Eleanor Rigby.  
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The cool ring slipped off Trinity's finger. Trinity and Heather stood in the lobby, removing  
all jewelry and other metals. The girls had to pass through several security procedures in order to  
visit Joanna. A husky guard in a bland, beige uniform informed Trinity and Heather of the rules of  
visitations.   
  
"You are allowed a half an hour session. In no way can you give nor receive anything  
from the prisoner without it passing through security. You can leave at anytime you want, just  
signal me from the foyer." he paused to point to the outdoor foyer. "you will have to wait a few  
minutes out there. Just sit at a table and wait."  
  
After the guard retreated into his office, the gates leading to the foyer were opened, and  
Heather and Trinity went through. Brown grass crunched under their feet and the barren trees in the  
lot hovered over them. The thin, scrawny limbs seemed to be beckoning strangers, then holding  
them in their trap.   
  
Around ten minutes passed. The girls were growing impatient and began to wonder what  
the problem was. A cold wind blew by, making them shiver.  
  
"Told you we weren't going to be late..." Trinity mumbled, lying her head on the table, as  
if to take a nap. The sound of the gates being opened made her head snap back up again.  
  
Joanna stepped through the black gates. Her hair seemed dusty and tangled, she looked  
different. Black circles underlying her eyes showed signs of fatigue. Being found guilty of drug  
dealing, she was sentenced five years. Not that long outside the walls, but inside, the seconds  
hung on the clock forever. Joanna just nodded at the two girls when she approached and sat down  
on the bench in her orange jumpsuit, legs creaking. She began to speak slowly.  
  
"Trinity.... you look nice. The black is very fitting. In there, our only option is orange."   
The joke didn't relieve the tension at the table, Joanna sensed it. They all did, and perhaps they  
were all glad when Joanna took out a cigarette and lit it. It provided a distraction. She took a long  
drag and spoke again.  
  
"I'm glad you came. You look like you've done well for yourself. Besides that  
piercing...." Joanna mumbled something about "kids today" and puffed out a gray circle of  
smoke. "I hope you got all of the letters I wrote you. My cell mate stole my pens and paper so I  
couldn't write anymore."   
  
Trinity hadn't said anything the whole time. She just sat with her head bowed and didn't  
even look up when she spoke to her mother for the first time in a year.  
  
"Mom, I don't know why you want me here. You certainly didn't want me here earlier,  
or you would have sent that letter sooner." Trinity emphasized that she had only received one  
letter from her mother, requesting that she visit her immediately. The letter had been sent almost  
11 months after the arrest, the only contact from her mother Trin had. Trinity continued, choosing  
her words carefully. "What do you need?"  
  
Joanna's dry, brown mouth formed a cynical smile, "Not what I need Trin, what I want.   
You're a smart girl, I can't fool you." she laughed dryly, "You always complain about how I left  
you alone. But you've always been independent and smart. Me being out of your life turned out  
to be the best thing for both of us."  
  
Heather had been silent the whole time. She leaned toward Trinity and whispered  
something in her ear. Trinity just looked at her friend and nodded. Heather gave Joanna a small  
smile and got up to leave.  
  
"Nice meeting you," Joanna called after Heather as she went through the gates. She turned  
toward Trinity and gave an evil smile. "Nice girl. You two lovers?" Trinity just gave a sarcastic  
smile at her mother. Trin thought back to the night when she was arrested. She could still her  
mother yelling that she loved her. She was so hammered she would have said anything when the  
cops were pulling her away. Joanna never told Trinity she loved her before then. The anger that  
had built up was going to explode in Trinity.  
  
"What do you want?! Just tell me Joanna, I'll do it! I just want to get this over with. By  
the time you get out of here, I'll be 18 and out on my own." Trinity almost growled the words.   
Her mother didn't seemed fazed by her daughter's explosion. Prison had hardened her.  
  
"I need you to get some money Troy owes me. It's four grand. I want you to invest it in  
some stocks or whatever. I need to have some cash by the time I get out." Joanna took a final  
drag of her cigarette and put it out. "I know you are going to refuse but--"  
  
"Like hell I'm going to refuse! What have you done for me, mother? Left me alone since  
I was 9 in that shack, that's what you did. Why should I help you?" tears welled up in Trinity's  
eyes and her voice cracked when she spoke.  
  
Smiling, Joanna spoke calmly, bringing her face close to her daughters. "You're gonna  
help because Troy knows all about your little computer games. I know all about your little  
felonies. Hacking is a felony, I hope you know that. Don't think I won't hesitate to get Troy to  
report you. He's got all of the proof. All that stuff with the IRS, yeah, I know everything."   
Joanna gave an evil laugh as she saw Trinity's face fall with shock. "That's what I thought....   
here's Troy's address," Joanna slipped Trinity a small piece of yellow paper. The guard's  
instructions floated into Trin's mind, but she ignored them. "Go see him tomorrow at noon. Get  
the money, invest it or whatever you do. Or perhaps your new wardrobe will be orange instead of  
black." Joanna gave her daughter one last smile and walked to the gate.  
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"I can't believe you did all of that! You hacked into all those government files?" Heather  
was almost swerving off the road. Trin had just finished telling her what happened in the foyer.  
"Are you going to do it? Are you gonna meet that guy?"  
  
Trinity sighed and pressed her forehead against the cool glass in the car. "Of course I'm  
going to do it. I can't get caught. She cornered me, she left me no choice." Small tears ran down  
her cheeks. "She knows how to play games, no one can beat her. I have only one request."   
Trinity said.  
  
"What?" Heather asked nervously  
"Take me there. I need a ride and a look out in case things get.... you know."  
"Oh God....." Heather parked the car as they entered the drive way at the house.  
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Trinity's black sneakers were pounding the pavement. She stopped and sat, putting the  
paper bag down beside her. Her breath formed moist clouds in front of her face as she hid behind  
the dumpster. Heather had taken a different route and they were now separated. It was two o' clock,  
things at Troy's had gotten.... you know.  
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At noon, Heather and Trinity pulled up at 1013 Princeton Avenue, it was in a bad section of  
town. Trinity went up the creaky stairs first, to apartment 303. Knocking loudly, they stood  
outside the worn door and waited nervously. A thin, yellow man answered the door. He left it  
ajar with the chain still holding it to the door frame.  
  
"Troy? I am, um, Joanna's kid, Trin."  
  
Troy peered through the door at Trinity. He seemed to smile a bit. "You look kinda like  
her. Not what I expected though." Troy was about to open the door until he saw Heather. He  
looked nervous. "Who's she?" Trinity tried to think of a quick answer.  
  
"She's Joanna's other kid. She was living with her dad, but things didn't work out."   
Trinity was a great liar. Troy seemed satisfied with the explanation and let them in. He led them  
into the cluttered living room and asked them to wait. Troy walked into a back room and the girls  
heard some shuffling till he returned with a large paper bag.  
  
"There it is. All in cash. I would ask you guys to stay, but you know...." Troy seemed  
even more nervous than before and glanced through a nearby window.   
  
"Yeah, we know." Trinity grabbed the bag and looked through it, making sure all the  
money was there. Satisfied that there was four grand, she signaled to Heather that they were ready  
to leave. "Thanks Troy, we'll be on our--" Trinity was interrupted by the ringing of gunshots.  
  
"Open up, Mr. Stein!" A strong, male voice yelled from outside. "Open the door!!!" Troy  
looked around for an exit and found another window leading to a fire escape. He pushed the girls  
out of the way and quickly got out, just before the man burst through the door. The man was  
dressed in a black suit, with black sunglasses and a large gun. He seemed to signal to other men  
waiting in the hall, dressed identically to him.  
  
"Stop!!!" The man fired again and Heather and Trinity ducked. Trinity pulled Heather  
behind the couch and they sat there, trying to think of what to do. The man was only after Troy  
and quickly leapt out the window. Heather peered over the couch to make sure it was clear, and  
pulled Trin up. They looked around once more and Trinity quickly grabbed the bag of money and  
ran. In the car, Heather pressed hard on the accelerator and drove out the area.  
  
A few blocks down the road, a car quickly pulled up behind the girls. The same men that  
were at Troy's house were chasing them. Heather just kept driving.  
  
"What are you doing?" screamed Trinity, "We're going to get arrested if we don't stop"  
  
"We are going to get arrested if they find out that we have four grand in a paper bag. It's  
gonna look kinda suspicious. Besides, why else would they be after us. What do you think they  
want?" Heather turned a sharp corner and increased her speed. "Look, we drive until we can find a  
spot where we can get out and run. We'll be out of the state by the time they catch us."   
  
"That asshole reported me! I can't believe Joanna set him up to this!" Trinity was fuming,  
"Drive, go!" Heather swerved several light poles until they found a good spot to stop. The two  
girls got out and ran as fast as they could. Clutching the bag to her chest, Trinity ran down an  
alley until she saw another black car and several men running after her. As she turned she found  
that she had lost Heather. Trin found a dumpster and sat behind it, catching her breath.  
  
'I'll take the money to the bank, deposit it, then I'll find Heather and we'll leave. I can get  
the money from out of state, invest it, and everything will be fine.' Trinity's mind was racing with  
ideas. 'Everything will be fine.' After sitting for a few minutes, Trin got up and made sure it was  
safe. She went down the alley and found that she was at 1214 Hartly, the nearest bank was about  
3 blocks. Trinity took her bag and ran.  
  
At the bank, there was a long line. Trinity was sweaty and out of breath. She got in the  
shortest line and waited impatiently. "I would like to deposit this cash." She handed the teller the  
now ragged paper bag and stepped back. After giving all the information, Trinity had successfully  
deposited the money. 'Everything is fine.' she thought, exiting the building.   
  
Black locks falling over her face, Trinity left the bank tired, sweaty, and cold. She looked  
down the street in both directions and decieded to head west, back the way she came. Walking  
this time, she passed familiar shops and boutiques. Trin became more relaxed, happy to have  
gotten away with her crime. Trinity was hoping to find Heather and then began to think if her  
friend could be in trouble. She picked up her pace and turned around a corner. Cold, stone-like  
eyes greeted Trinity behind black sunglasses. Men in black suits surrounded her. Trinity panicked  
and tried to fight back, but these men moved so fast, she didn't even realize that they had her in  
the car until it was speeding off.   
  
"What the hell is going on?!" Trinity screamed, trying to kicked off one of the guys who  
held her down. A man in the passenger seat turned around to greet her. He had on the same suit  
as the other men, but he carried himself with a feeling of superiority  
  
"Don't worry Ms. Greene. We just want to... talk." An evil smile floated onto his face.   
"We have a proposition for you. It has come to our attention that you are very skilled in the cyber  
world. You are an extremely bright girl. Do you agree?" He looked at her expectantly.  
  
"I don't know who 'we' is, but I hope that you tell me soon. I don't have to answer any  
of your bullshit questions. And I certainly am not interested in your 'proposition'." She snarled  
angrily. Her defensive wall was put up, Trinity was determined to piss these men off.  
  
The man frowned with disappointment but said nothing more. He signaled to the other  
men in the car and they quickly pulled their guns out. Fear suddenly leapt into Trinity. She tried  
to move towards the doors, but realized that they were locked. The driver pulled the car into an  
abandoned warehouse and opened the doors. The men in the backseat escorted Trinity out of the  
car and pushed her against a wall.   
  
"Face the wall, Ms. Greene. Unless you want to see what your negative attitude has  
gotten you." The apparent leader of the group pushed her again and held a gun to the back of her  
head. Trinity shut her eyes as tight as possible, waiting for the inevitable. "It's a shame really,  
Ms. Greene, you could have been a real great asset to the team." Grimacing, Trinity waited.  
  
  
  
  



End file.
